LIVESTREAM PPV: CFL – Edmonton Eskimos @Toronto Argonauts, Friday, Aug. 16, 7:30p EDT (1:30a Aug 17, CEDT)
TORONTO – The Toronto Argonauts are well-rested and on a high after their first win of the season. They’ll aim to carry that momentum into Friday night when they welcome the Edmonton Eskimos to BMO Field.
Toronto is in the midst of a pivotal three-game stretch featuring contests against the Blue Bombers, Eskimos and Alouettes. The Argos picked up their first win of the season when they completed a dramatic fourth quarter comeback against the Bombers in Week 8 and are now only two games back of a playoff spot in the East.
Meanwhile, Edmonton has been dominating on the stat sheet, but that has not necessarily translated to wins. Trevor Harris has been statistically the league’s best passer, while C.J. Gable is well on his way to a second 1,000-yard rushing season in as many years.
Still, the Eskimos find themselves needing a victory to keep pace with the Blue Bombers and Calgary Stampeders in the West. Road wins have been hard to come by this year – the Eskimos have a single road victory in four games away from Commonwealth Stadium.
“We’re going to change some things up this week,” Head Coach Jason Maas told Esks.com. “We’re going to do some different things on the road because we feel like we need a change. More focus on ourselves. Do more things that we do more at home, which is play games, have a good time and be there for one another.”
A breakout performer for the Green and Gold is receiver Ricky Collins. A 27-year-old in his fourth season in the CFL, Collins is a mere 50 yards shy of setting a new career-high for receiving yards. From 2016 to 2018, his average yards per game was 41.6, compared to 83.8 this season.
Toronto is coming off a bye week and on an emotional high from taking down the league’s best team. Head Coach Corey Chamblin is liking the energy from his troops.
“The bye week was awesome,” Chamblin told Argonauts.ca. “Time to recharge and refocus. The guys did a good job of that and they’ve had phenomenal practices this week. The energy’s been unbelievable and we’ve had some good execution.”
McLeod Bethel-Thompson received praise for his role in leading the Argos back from the brink against the Blue and Gold. His 37 completions in the game were a new career-high (and tie for the fourth-most ever in a single game by an Argonauts quarterback), while his late touchdown pass to S.J. Green capped off a dramatic game-winning drive.
“We’re playing good ball,” Bethel-Thompson said. “The bye is a gift and a curse at the same time. We want to keep that momentum going and hopefully we can flow it into this week. I just let myself play football. It was a fun play and a fun drive.”
Bethel-Thompson endeared himself to Argos fans with a pair of fourth quarter comebacks in 2018. The Week 8 win is yet another example of CFL contests coming down to the wire. In fact, 11 of the past 17 matchups between the Boatmen and Esks have been decided in the last three minutes of the game. Additionally, seven have been decided by four or fewer points.
If the Argos want to get a winning streak going, they’ll have to do it against one of the league’s best defences. The Eskimos have given up the fewest passing yards (193.1) second-fewest rushing yards (82.0) in the CFL this season.
“Our defence has been playing fantastic,” Eskimos safety Jordan Hoover said. “It’s trust. You’ve got to make the plays and show your team that they can trust you and you just know that your guys are going to make the play. Everyone’s running to the ball. We’ve got great leaders on this defence, great coaches. They’re always encouraging us to be the best players we can be collectively as a unit.”
Larry Dean is pacing the Edmonton defence with 36 tackles. Defensive lineman Mike Moore has six sacks, which is tied for the second most in the league.
The Argonauts’ re-acquisition of Zach Collaros made headlines across the CFL, but Bethel-Thompson remains under centre. Collaros will not dress for Friday’s game – he’s on the six-game injured list, recovering from a concussion suffered in Week 1.
Bear Woods, who was signed by the Argos to sure-up their defence, will also not be in the lineup Friday, and the same goes for defensive tackle Cleyon Laing, who was injured during the team’s win over Winnipeg. Defensive tackle Davon Coleman, who was acquired in a trade for Shawn Lemon earlier in the week, is also out.
BY THE NUMBERS
3 – Number of sacks allowed by the Eskimos this season. The record for fewest in a season is seven (1999 Hamilton Tiger-Cats).
9 – Points scored by Toronto in the first quarter this year.
51 – Active reception streak for Greg Ellingson, which dates back to 2016.
17 – Targets for S.J. Green in Week 8, a career high.
– With files from Argonauts.ca and Esks.com.
AFI, Yare Media and the CFL
American Football International is collaborating with Yare Media and the Canadian Football League to present 2019 CFL games live. This is more than a livestream. This is a stream of the top flight TSN network television broadcast.
